Why he'll be hard to replace: Wright was the undisputed leader of the secondary last season, a role that now falls to junior safety T.J. McDonald and, to a lesser extent, sophomore Nickell Robey.

Some might argue that Wright didn't lead very well, given the unit's struggles. But considering that none of the other regulars had starting experience -- and Wright himself had relatively little -- he handled a difficult situation very well. Wright played through pain and adversity, serving as a splendid role model for his would-be successors.

Coming out of spring, Burnett emerged as the favorite to start opposite Robey. The one-time walk-on looks the part with an ideal combination of size (6-1, 195) and speed. But as a Division I starting cornerback, Burnett remains completely unproven.

Harris, who missed almost all of spring recovering from shoulder surgery, played extensively as a redshirt freshman and endured a spate of growing pains. Even his one shining moment, a critical two-point conversion return vs. Arizona State, ended badly with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Harris, too, has much to prove.

Wiley, a transfer from Arizona Western College, has the type of size (6-1, 185) and toughness this coaching staff covets. But can he play with the big boys? We won't find out until August, at the earliest.

Brown followed strong winter workouts with a solid spring camp. However, based on the depth chart and the way the defense lined up in spring, he seems ticketed to back up Robey in the base defense and to play that side in the nickel, with Robey moving to the slot. Brown can change that by outplaying the competition in training camp, although it'll be hard to unseat Burnett, the pre-camp favorite.

Clearly, USC has plenty of talented options to fill Wright's spot. And it'll take only one interception to surpass his 2010 total.

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